


Like a Second Sunrise

by BlueOfSL



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Olympics, Panic Attacks, Surfing, Typhoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25861720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueOfSL/pseuds/BlueOfSL
Summary: When Oikawa was young, he feared water. He feared the waves, feared the lakes, feared even the seasonal floods.That fear never truly passed even after Oikawa decided to go to the Olympics in surfing 15 years later.A young boy, meets Oikawa three weeks before the Olympics and changes his perspective on surfing for good.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32
Collections: Haikyuu Olympics Bang





	Like a Second Sunrise

Oikawa Tooru, age 7.

At such a young age, he was both fascinated and terrified by water. Lakes, rivers, floods, and worst of all, the ocean. He could tell that he’d gotten bad luck when his family decided to fully settle down on one of Japan’s islands. Hearing the waves freaked him out, scared him to the point of demanding his parents to move back to the mainland. They never listened and in due time, the waves became white noise. But that never helped make the fear go away.

Who did help was Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa’s childhood friend. He moved in a few days after Oikawa, into the house that stood on a tall cliff overlooking the ocean. He laughed when he first saw Oikawa’s reaction to the waves, how he’d purse his lips and furrowed his brows but soon realized the fear was no laughing matter.

“It’s not funny” Oikawa had hiccuped, “a riptide almost got me two years ago.”   
  


A practically helpless Oikawa came to mind, trying to paddle against the waves as it pushed him out farther from shore. Iwaizumi didn't want that. He made up his mind to help Oikawa get over his fear of water.

\----

Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime, age 9.

They had a plan, although it was more of Iwaizumi’s. He boasted to Oikawa about stealing one of his dad’s jet skis and going out for a ride. Oikawa thought it was stupid, and illegal. Not only that but Iwaizumi knew of his fear.

_ Why does he think that this is a good idea? _

He’d been completely against it and even thought of ratting out his friend.

Yet there they were two days later at sunset, untying the rope to a blue jet ski. 

“This is so stupid, what if we get caught?” Oikawa had hissed out.

“We won't, trust me.” Was Iwaizumi’s response.

Oikawa hadn’t trusted him at the time. But it had grown after their ride. He screamed his lungs out, clutching and burying his face into Iwaizumi’s back. Iwaizumi whooped and laughed as the boat bounced along the waves.

“Oikawa, look up!” Iwaizumi had said when he slowed down.

“No way, you know I hate water.” Oikawa yelled.

“Just do it, stupid.”

Slowly, Oikawa had looked up and was met with a view he’d never forget. His new hometown was bathed in the sunset behind it. The orange glow gave the houses a warm welcomed look that he couldn’t look away from. Even the water, as much as he’d hated it, looked beautiful to the point where he’d reached down to dip his hand in it, fascinated.

“I had no idea…” Oikawa started.

“You were missing out on this?” Iwaizumi finished. “Do you still hate water?”

Oikawa only mumbled into his back.

“Speak up, stupid!” 

Oikawa banged his fists on his back, “Ok, ok fine! Maybe I don’t hate it as much as I did before, now stop calling me stupid!”

Iwaizumi smiled back at him “Nah” and jerked the jet ski forward, with Oikawa almost falling off the boat. He screeched at him the whole way back to shore about how mean he was. The only difference being Oikawa looking out towards the waters instead of his friend’s back. He even laughed when the jet ski jumped out of the water.

Their little adventure was never known by anyone else but them. 

\----

Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime, age 11.

By then, the boys had known the town by heart. The local cafe, squeezed between two clothing stores, had the best pastries Oikawa had ever tasted. The skate park, hidden behind a grocery store, was where they learned how to skate, both of them having bruised their knees countless times on the pavement. The new surf shop, only built that year, sat at the end of town square.

The new shop caught Oikawa’s interest. He’d often bike by it on his way to Iwaizumi’s house. The light blue paint and messy kanji of  _ Sakanoshita Surf Shop _ definitely caught his eyes at the time. What made him stop his bike was seeing the strange boards hung up on the walls. Even though Oikawa saw the beach constantly, he never paid attention to who was really in the water. 

He heard about the waves being good by the locals.

His childish curiosity was what got him into the shop a week later with Iwaizumi in tow. The shop owner, Ukai Keishin, from what Oikawa had read from his name tag, looked to be in his late twenties and a bit mean. That didn’t stop him from shuffling into the store and looking around in awe.

The man greeted them with the same amount of gruffness Oikawa had expected. He tapped his cigarette on an ashtray before asking Oikawa, 

“You lookin’ to surf kid?” He must've noticed how he’d stare at the boards with their intricate patterns.

“I-I no. I mean yes! Yes!” _ What was he saying? _ Iwaizumi stared at him strangely.

“Well which is it?” Iwaizumi and Ukai said simultaneously.

“Jinx, you owe me--” 

Ukai knocked on the wooden desk before he could finish and grinned. “Sorry but I’m already short on money kid.”

Iwaizumi laughed at him, “You’re funny.” grinning himself.

“UM” Oikawa said a bit too loudly, “I’d like to try surfing!” 

“Do you even know how to surf?” Ukai raised a brow at him.

Oikawa slouched a bit. “No, I never thought about it until a week ago.”

“Try the surfing lessons then.” Ukai handed him a card,  _ Seijou Surf Lessons With Nobuteru Irihata _ it said. “You can have weekly or daily surf lessons with Nobuteru at a price. Though you can tell him that I sent you and he’ll probably let you off some money.”

Oikawa’s eyes widened before bowing, “Thank you Ukai-san!” he said before making his way out of the shop. A hand stopped him from exiting the door.

“Are there boards we can rent?” Iwaizumi asked, his hand still grabbed at the back of Oikawa’s shirt.

“What, you think I only sell boards? Not everyone can afford them.” He handed Iwaizumi another card. “Twenty four hour renting is 4700 yen and half day is 2000.” Was Ukai’s reply as he handed Iwaizumi another card.

“Thank you sir.” Iwaizumi said as he pushed Oikawa out the door.

  
  
  


The surf lessons were surprisingly easy, at least for Iwaizumi. He’d known the waves much better than Oikawa and was able to pop up on his third try.

Oikawa on the other hand, struggled even getting into the water. The waves would lap at his feet as he stared down at the foam. Iwaizumi and Nobuteru were already in the water, waiting for him. 

His fear wasn’t gone but neither was his curiosity. Slowly, he’d let himself walk deeper into the water, feeling how it’d flow around his knees, then his waist, then to his stomach.

The board he rented was a bright teal, a bit banged up, but held up fine. He paddled out on it, diving under the waves that would’ve made his stomach drop if he were a year younger. His mind worked ten fold on remembering all he was taught from Nobuteru. 

_ Push down on the board before a wave to dive, stay calm and aware of others around you, and finally, push up with your arms while bringing your feet onto the board. _

_ I’ll show everyone that I’m not afraid of these waves.  _ He’d say every time before going into the waters. 

  
  
  


On the fourth lesson, Oikawa had been able to finally muster enough courage to pop up on a wave. He grinned widely towards the others as Iwaizumi whooped and Nobuteru clapped joyfully. His stance, speed, and balance were all perfect even if the wave was all foamy and white.

  
  
  


Eleven lessons later, he was able to catch his first real wave, a smooth six foot tall wave. Although the whitewash of the wave did catch up to him faster than he expected, he counted it as a victory, almost.

The wave pulled him far under the surface, so far that he felt the smooth sand brush his back. Fear, the same kind from when he was five clouded his mind. He only realized what happened when Iwaizumi was dragging him up by the waist.

They floated on Oikawa’s board for what seemed like an hour, Iwaizumi refusing to leave his side even when another wave collapsed on top of them. 

He helped Oikawa clamber onto his board when he was ready, before slowly paddling back to shore with him.

He stayed away from the surf shop and beach for two weeks before Iwaizumi dragged him back out.

\----

Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime, age 16.

Oikawa would say that they’re pros at surfing by then. With five years of experience, he understood the waves just as much as the town he called home. He even competed in small leagues at the beach against adults and won. Nobuteru praised him on his skills, how he’d exceeded his expectations of Oikawa.

Waking up at five am had never been Oikawa’s favorite thing to do for his fairly new routine, but the waves were the best at that time. For three years, he and Iwaizumi would meet at the surf shop to rent boards. 

On their fourteenth birthdays, they were both gifted new boards by their parents. They changed their meet up to the pastry shop which was closer to the beach. They’d run down the hill all the way to shore everyday and although Iwaizumi would usually beat him just by a meter, it always did help wake up Oikawa . 

Out on the waters, they paddled staring right into the sunrise. Sometimes they’d splash each other with as much water as possible or purposely bump their board into the others. No one else but them were out on the waters almost every time, making the beach theirs. 

The thing Oikawa loved most was the view, an exact opposite yet the same of when he was on the jetski so many years back.

“Watch out, dumbass.” Iwaizumi yelled at him.

A wave had risen and was just about to collapse on Oikawa, he only sighed, before pushing down on his board and smoothly diving under the wave.

Iwaizumi was staring at him as he broke the surface.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.” Iwaizumi mumbled, looking away. “Who are you trying to be pretty for huh? It’s not like you have a girlfriend watching you from shore.”

Oikawa tisked irritably, “Well I’m sorry, but I guess it’s just in my nature to be graceful.”

“Hurry up and get a girlfriend so that I can stop watching out for your sorry ass.”

“Says you, Mr. Hopeless Romantic.”

That earned Oikawa a face full of water and his board being flipped.

\----

The first time Oikawa saw him was when he was heading past the pastry shop with his friends. The biggest smile was what really caught Oikawa’s attention, forget about the rambunctious bald head and spiky haired boy. With that smile, the hair seemed to be just as bright.

Orange hair tied loosely back was really an outlier against anyone Oikawa had met. The urge to run his fingers through their hair was immense.

_ The hell? _

He, Oikawa Tooru, age 21, wanted to run his hands through another guy’s hair when he hadn’t even met him.

“Oikawa come on, we’ve got ten minutes before we have to get back on the job.” Iwaizumi called, “Are you spacing out again?”

_ Spacing out is definitely it.  _ “Ah, I guess you caught me.”

“Why’s your voice so high?”

_ Crap.  _

“It was a voice crack, c’mon let's go, I hope that new milk bread is good.”

Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s job was simple, they were in charge of jet ski rentals. They worked lazily, starting from the late mornings and most of the afternoon.

Since their high school graduation, Iwaizumi had taken an interest in jet skis more than surfing. Of course he’d still go out to the beach with Oikawa. The only difference being him on the same blue jet ski from their childhood instead of a board.

It saddened Oikawa to be the only one on the board now but it also gave more options. Shenanigans, but also a hope for support in the near future.

Oikawa had been asked to surf in the next Olympic games.

The envelope had been simple, with neat letters of his name on the back. He had to read through it twice before speed dialing Iwaizumi and practically screeching in his ear about his success. 

Iwaizumi was angry for maybe half a second, only because it was three am, before gasping and asking Oikawa if it was real.

“It has Japan’s Olympic Committee President’s signature so of course it is.” Oikawa said proudly. “It also says that there’ll be another letter in two months that will explain what I’ll have to do.” 

“Well then, I guess I’ll have to prepare myself to support you.”

“What do you mean?”

“What you haven’t noticed?” Iwaizumi scoffed. “The reason why I’ve been out on the jet ski every day with you is so that I can learn how to properly get you on a wave and get myself off of one without wiping out.”

“Oh” was all Oikawa said before Iwaizumi abruptly ended the call.

  
  
  


It’s been a few weeks since Oikawa had first seen the bright haired boy. He’d see him around town once in a while, always with his two friends. They’d hung around town square, shopped in the clothing stores, and gone to the surf shop quite a few times.

Was he stalking them? Yes he was.

“Why don’t you try to get to know him?” Iwaizumi asked one morning on the waters. The waves, just like the day before, were perfect.

“You’re kidding” Oikawa scoffed, “you want me to just come up to the guy and say ‘Hey I know you don’t know me, but you seem like a really cool guy and i’d like to get to know you better.’?”

Iwaizumi hummed for a moment. “No but what you could do is advertise us--”

“You’re always talking about how to make more money on your job. Jeez, are you really that hungry for money?”

“If you’d let me  _ finish _ I was gonna recommend giving him a discount on our rentals so that you could have a chance to talk to him. But since you’re so against me right now maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut and let you wallow in your feelings.”

“I am not wallowing.”

“You are.”

“Are not.”

“Are.”

“Not.”

“Are”

_ “Not” _

_ His idea is actually a good idea. _

Oikawa silently planned on when he should advertise their job. Not only could it help him meet the guy, but he could get more customers, a win-win.

He realized that he was just as money hungry as Iwaizumi.

  
  
  


_ \--Good afternoon, this is  seaside radio station  with another report about Typhoon Izaki. Here’s Tarayama with the update: _

_ “Thank you, Harutso. The outskirts of Izaki are now reaching landfall in the seaside villages of Yakushima Island. Waves are reaching heights of ten feet and winds are exceeding 70 miles per hour. Temperatures have drastically dropped by ten degrees making the ocean dangerously cold. We would advise anyone who is near the shores to please seek higher ground for shelter. This is a typhoon watch to the southern parts of Japan. Damage is expected to be in the forms of power outages and flooding.-- _

Oikawa sighed as he looked out towards the crashing seas down below. The water was an ugly brownish color. He’d been lucky to decide rooming with Iwaizumi’s was a good idea from now on. He lazily picked up the binoculars to look down towards the houses below. 

Some roofing was curling under the wind’s pressure. He looked towards the dock’s and saw a man and woman hauling a small boat out of the overlapping waters. The boats that were left on the waters rocked dangerously against the waves. Oikawa moved on towards the town square- 

It was completely flattened. He could see surfboards from the surf shop strewn about on the roads and even a jet ski laid on its side on the boardwalk. Something churned in his gut when he saw the surf shop sign faced down on the ground.

He moved on, looking out towards the ocean. The waves looked absolutely ferocious as they crashed unceremoniously into one another and onto the beach. 

He’d thought his eyes were tricking him for a moment when he saw something out of place in the water. 

“There’s no way.” Oikawa muttered to himself. He adjusted the knobs on the binoculars and squinted to make out the blurred image in front of him.

Out in the water, he saw a hair of bright orange contrast against the dark waves. The guy lifted himself out of the water and onto a surfboard. Instead of heading towards shore, he paddled towards the waves. 

Oikawa’s breath caught when the guy looked back. 

“There’s no goddamn way!” Oikawa yelled out, standing up and accidentally kicking his chair back.

“Oikawa, what is it?” Iwaizumi voiced from the kitchen.

Oikawa scrambled for the door, grabbing as much as he could, ignoring Iwaizumi as he yanked open the door and sprinted out into the storm.

“ _ Oikawa!? _ ” Iwaizumi’s voice was faint compared to the booming thunder and sheets of rain. “Hey, where are you going?!” 

“ _ To the docks! _ ” Oikawa screamed out. He paid no heed towards anything Iwaizumi cursed after. Against his better judgement, he sprinted down the steep hill, not following the winding road down to the jet skis.

The waves splashed at the wooden dock where the boats rocked, still on the water and tied by a rope. Oikawa cut the rope attached to the blue jet ski with his knife, not risking anymore time in untying. He flung off the rest of the rope onto the doc, and revved the engine to life after getting on. Just as Oikawa pulled out of the docks, he heard another yell.

“Catch!” Oikawa caught the lifebuoy with an outstretched arm, almost falling off. He stared at Iwaizumi before nodding. 

_ I’ll get him back. _

Oikawa pushed on the jet ski’s handles and sped off towards the ocean. He could feel how his brows furrowed and eyes widened in focus. A scowl settled itself onto his lips when a wave licked at his legs and torso.

_ Goddamn it not now. _

He  _ hated _ this, hated the waves and his increasing fear of them, again. But he’d hate himself even more if he didn’t go out and get the guy. 

_ What kind of idiot goes out in the middle of a disastrous typhoon to surf? Is he insane? _

The jet ski lurched under Oikawa’s grasp as it crashed into a larger wave. He cursed as water sprays all over him. He rubbed at his eyes as they stung with salt water. 

He felt like he was suffocating out here.

He whipped his head around searching for the familiar orange hair. He heard a yell and watched as a wave beside him pulled down someone into the water, only seeing a part of their hand before they’re gone.

Oikawa tightened his grip on the handlebars. His hands felt clammy, and numb. 

_ What am I doing out here? Iwaizumi would be much better than me. _

The guy emerged from the water- orange hair sticking to his face -and Oikawa surged forward on the jet ski. 

_ There’s no time to feel bad about yourself. _

All he had to do is get the guy out and then he could go back. Go back to a warm safe home. He didn’t care if he got a lecture, he just had to get this guy out.

“ _ Grab on! _ ” Oikawa yelled as he threw the lifebuoy towards them, making a wide arc around them to face the docs. He watched as they wrapped their arms around the lifebuoy before grinding the handles of the jet ski forward.

He checked back to see the guy being dragged behind him and realized looking back was a mistake.

“Look out!” The guy had yelled. To Oikawa’s left was a huge wave at the brink of collapsing onto them. He yelped, speeding out and away from the wave, hearing it splash dangerously close to him. 

_ Wait, shit! _

Just before he looked back again, he heard a hand slap onto the back of his jet ski. The guy hauled himself out of the water and onto the back seat. He slumped onto Oikawa’s back, panting heavily, seemingly on the brink of passing out.

“Sorry, I'll repay you somehow.” Oikawa barely heard him rasp.

Thunder crackled around the two, loud enough for Oikawa to flinch violently. He helped wrap the guy’s arms around his waist and cranked the handlebars forward to shore. 

  
  
  


Iwaizumi hauled the guy off of Oikawa’s back after tying up the jetski with new rope. His skin was cold against Iwaizumi’s chest, though he couldn’t tell whether it was because of the wet suit or not. He started towards the house, albeit shakily by the blowing winds, with Oikawa scrambling up after him.

“How is he?” Oikawa huffed out, patting a hand onto Iwaizumi’s shoulder to look at their face.

“Will he be alright?”

“We’ll know when we get inside.” Iwaizumi gritted out.

The steep road up to the house was slippery, the two needed to shuffle to the side of the road to not risk falling. They started to carry the guy together halfway up the path when Iwaizumi’s arm couldn’t support the guy’s legs properly. 

Rain pelted at their shoulders and heads with no mercy. 

Oikawa stopped when he felt his back hit the front door of the home. He carefully lowered the guy's legs before opening the door for Iwaizumi to drag them both inside. A sigh of relief escaped him when he closed the door with his foot.

“I wouldn’t relax yet-” Iwaizumi called as he headed towards the closets. “-he’s not out of the woods.”

The guy is unconscious, shivering under Oikawa’s grasp, with skin a sickly pale color. Slow shallow breaths puff out between cracked lips and he feared for the guy’s health.

_ Those are all symptoms of hypothermia.  _

Oikawa lifted the guy up for Iwaizumi when he came back with towels and blankets, letting him settle down one under him. Another towel was placed around his lap, and one on top of his hair. As Iwaizumi rubbed the boy’s hair free of water, Oikawa began to carefully pull off the wet suit, being extra careful in the waist area. He ignored his curiosity towards the well built muscle around his calves and arms, for now.

“Three, two, one, up.” Iwaizumi grunted at the up as he and Oikawa lifted the guy up and carefully settled him down on the couch. 

“Can you make some tea for him Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked before fanning out the blanket over the guy.

“What am I, your servant now?” Iwaizumi grumbled but complied, heading to the kitchen to heat up the teapot.

“Well it’s your house!” 

“You practically live here now that you decided to haul your board up here two weeks ago!”

Oikawa hummed to himself as he tucked in the blankets under the guy to make himself look useful. A hand on his shoulder stilled his movements, he looked up to see Iwaizumi staring at him with a look.

“What?” 

“You’re shivering and still in your raincoat.”

“Oh.” He started to tuck in the guy's feet. Calloused hands grabbed at his and turned him towards the owner.

“That means you should take the coat off and take a bath.” Iwaizumi hissed at him. “I know you’re reckless and suck at taking care of yourself but I know you absolutely hate when others have to take care of you.” 

“But I just want to help.”

“You’ve been helpful enough, now go!” He pulled at Oikawa’s hands, making him stand and practically shoved him towards the bathroom.

Oikawa stumbled before clicking his tongue and heading to the bathroom.

He didn't have the energy to fight against Iwaizumi at the moment. Actually, it seemed that he didn’t have energy to do anything at all since he collapsed right in front of the shower.

_ I actually did that. _

_ I actually went out into that storm. _

_ It was so much like-- _

“Oikawa?”

_ \--like that storm from when I was a kid. _

_ The same one that I almost drowned in. _

_ “Oh my god I could’ve drowned.” _

“Hey I need you to breathe with me.”

Inhale, exhale. His breaths were too short.

_ I could have died. _

_ He could have died. _

Hands cupped at his face gently. He looked up into his childhood friend’s eyes.

“We could’ve died.” He wheezed out.

“But you didn’t.” Iwaizumi placed one of his hands onto Oikawa’s shoulder. “You saved his life.”

Padding of feet can be heard coming to the bathroom. A soft knock, before a head peaked through the door.

“Speak of the devil and he comes.”

Orange hair was slicked back from the water and Oikawa couldn’t stop himself from staring. The guy’s eyes widened.

“You’re scared of water aren’t you?” He sank to his knees next to Iwaizumi. “Yet you still went out of your way to save me.”

Oikawa nodded as he let himself lean on the bathroom wall. “I couldn’t just let you stay out there.”   
  
“He’s also been wanting to meet you.” Iwaizumi added.

Oikawa glared at him before sighing and extended his hand towards the guy. “Oikawa Tooru.”   
  
His hand, still cold, clasped Oikawa’s. “Hinata Shoyou, it’s nice to meet my savior.” A shy smile formed on Hinata’s face.

_ Hinata Shoyou, what a perfect name for him. _   
  
“Now that we're done with introductions, I need you two to go rest. Especially you, Hinata-san.” Iwaizumi said.

“Just Hinata is fine, thank you for your hospitality.” He bowed before leaving the bathroom.

“Guest room is down the hall on the right.” 

“But that’s my room?” Oikawa said.

“There’s two twin beds, I think you’ll manage, and the couch isn't comfortable.” The grin Iwaizumi sported scared Oikawa. “I know you still have feelings for him.” Oikawa gulped as he watched Iwaizumi leave the bathroom. “Hurry up and shower, Hinata’ll go after if he can.”   
  
The door clicked closed behind him, Oikawa couldn’t help it when his face reddened.

  
  
  


Hinata Shoyou wasn’t sure how to react when he woke up in a stranger’s house. Memories flashed through his mind rapidly when he came to. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya placed bets on him to try surfing the typhoonic waves, then the panicked expression of the guy’s face on the jet ski, remembering how warm his back was against his chest. He could barely remember being lifted off of the boat and into someone's arms.

He’d slowly got up, clutching his head as a horrible headache plagued him. He was cold, extremely cold. A dull bang was heard somewhere behind. As tired as he was, he got up, bringing the blanket with him and peeked into a bathroom.

The guy who saved him was there, seemingly calming down from a panic attack, and another guy who he swore saw at some point. 

Oikawa Tooru was the guy’s name. His voice was shaky and hoarse but if Hinata were to meet him on a normal day, he was sure his voice would be soft and velvety.

The other guy, he wasn't able to catch the name, was kind enough to let him stay in a guest bedroom. Two twin beds were set against a wall. One was unmade, and another made. It even had an extra blanket and towel.

He slowly sat down, feeling the bed dip slightly under his weight with a creak. The sheets of rain outside banged and rattled the window located to his right. It was almost dusk yet the outside world looked as if it were midnight. A small lamp beside Hinata was the only light source, giving the room a warm cozy glow. He clutched his blanket closer to him, shivering.

A quiet knock made him look up, noticing the other guy coming in with a warm cup of tea in his hands and something tucked under one of his arms. “I’m surprised that you’re even awake and walking around right now.” He took a seat next to him.

“I never got your name.” Hinata mumbled.

“Iwaizumi Hajime,” He gently placed the cup in Hinata's hands. “Here, drink up. It’s chamomile for your headache.”

“How’d you know I have a headache?” Hinata said as he took a sip, humming in content. “This is really good.”

“I saw you clutching your head while I went to check on Oikawa.” Iwaizumi suddenly frowned. “I gotta ask though, what the hell were you doing out there?”

Hinata took a gulp too large for him, scalding his tongue and wincing. “It was a stupid bet my friends made me do.”

“Well at least you know that it was stupid.” Iwaizumi deadpanned.

“I’m sorry to--”

“Save it.” Iwaizumi interrupted, sighing dramatically. “I’d rather have you rest than apologise to me.” He slid the cup out of Hinata’s hands and placed it by the bedside table while nudging Hinata to lay down.

“Oh and here,” Iwaizumi gave him what was tucked under his arm, a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel. “Put it on your stomach under the blankets, it’ll help keep you warm while you rest.”

“Thank you Iwaizumi-san.” Hinata said, eyes starting to droop down some.

“You don’t have to thank me, thank Oikawa in the morning.” Iwaizumi stood, heading for the door. “Goodnight.”

  
  


Oikawa came in much later into the night, hair drooping down over his forehead and his own cup of tea in hand. He hadn't forgotten about the guest in his room, only staring for a few moments at the sleeping figure. Compared to an hour ago, he looked much better, his skin showing more color. Or perhaps it was just the lamp that gave him a warmer look? Before he knew what he was even doing, Oikawa was by Hinata’s bedside, checking. 

_ No, he definitely looked better. _

He couldn’t help it when he pushed a strand of hair away from Hinata’s face.

Oikawa also couldn’t help backing away all the way to his bed when he saw him stir. Trying something like that again would be way too risky in Oikawa’s opinion. He opted to just crawl into bed and try to get some sleep.

Rest didn’t come easy for either of them.

Both had disturbing dreams of being trapped underwater, drowning. Different ways, but all had the same end. Something had pulled them under the waves and kept them there until their lungs gave out. The image of the water’s surface was the last thing they’d remember from it.

  
  
  


Waking up was exhausting, making breakfast was exhausting, even walking around seemed exhausting to Hinata. Oikawa was in a similar state and it made Iwaizumi anxious.

Hinata had asked Iwaizumi if he could call one of his friends on the phone to pick him up. Before he could even reach out to take the phone, he slouched over the table. Oikawa, who was also out of it, snorted in amusement when he saw Hinata hit his head on the table.

Iwaizumi decided that it’d be better if he were to call Hinata’s friends.

They sounded exactly like how he’d expect two irresponsible friends. The one who was on the phone, named Tanaka, profusely apologized when he heard that Hinata had ended up at their house border lining hypothermia. 

Nishinoya, from what Iwaizumi picked up, seemed to have yanked the phone out of Tanaka’s grasp to ask where they were. Iwaizumi understood his hurry and calmly told him their address. He almost laughed when he heard them yelling at each other to write it down.   
  


They even looked exactly like Iwaizumi imagined.

Tanaka and Nishinoya came right to Hinata, who had just enough time to stand, and hugged him when they saw him sitting between Iwaizumi and Oikawa. 

“We’re so sorry you had to go through that.”

“We were super worried, Shoyou!”

“It’s ok, but I don’t think I’ll be taking any more bets for a while.” Hinata said softly, weakly hugging them back.

Tanaka patted him on the back, “Good choice, now come on, we’re treating you lunch and a new board.” Tanaka waved back to the guys who were sitting on the poarch. “Thanks for taking care of him!”

Hinata’s eyes seemingly sparkled. “Ooh maybe I can get an orange board this time.”

“You know I can make you one right?” Noya asked. “I mean, I’ve been making boards since I was a kid.”

“You’ll make me one?” Hinata’s eyes seemed to shine even brighter.

“Of course! I’ll even make it have an orange fire design at the front.” Noya said proudly. 

“And how long will that take you? As far as I know, our dear kouhai has an important event coming up real soon.” Tanaka asked.

“Give me three days and it’ll be ready.”

“Woah, what about your other customers?”

“They can wait another day or two can they? I mean they didn’t tell me that they had a competition coming up anytime soon.”

“Hmm I guess you’re right- hey woah!” Tanaka grabbed Hinata’s arm who had tipped far too forward on their walk down the steep hill. “What’s going on, did you not sleep enough?”

Hinata nodded glumly as he was pulled back up to his feet. His eyes couldn’t help but droop with the lack of sleep. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya nodded before taking an arm each and pulling it over their shoulders. “Don’t worry Shoyou, we’ll get you home safe and sound.” Nishinoya claimed.

True to his word, the three did make it home in one piece. 

  
  
  


“It’s for you.” Tanaka said a week after the incident and two days after the storm passed. 

Nishinoya, who worked tirelessly on Hinata's new board, was seen spread out on the couch with his feet on Hinata’s lap. Right on the third day, Nishinoya had finished up the board and presented it in all its glory above his head.

Hinata took the phone from Tanaka, who took a seat next to him on the couch. “Hello?”

“Hey, this is--”

“You’re Oikawa-san.” Hinata instantly straightened up upon hearing the familiar voice. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, uh I was gonna invite you to come surfing with me. Perhaps early tomorrow morning?” Oikawa asked hesitantly.

Hinata couldn’t help the grin on his face. “Of course, does five am work with you?”

“Sounds good to me.” Oikawa’s voice was as smooth as Hinata imagined even if it were coming through the phone.

“Alright, I’ll see you then, bye!”

“Well you’re awfully happy.” Tanaka formed a knowing look on his face. “Was it your  _ savior _ ?”

“Yup, it was.” Hinata said seemingly ignoring the jab Tanaka was trying to make.

He laughed before saying, “Well you’ll have to get to know him well if you don’t want to make things awkward between you two.”

“Awkward?”

“Ah, it’s nothing, you’ll figure it out.” Tanaka plucked the phone out of Hinata’s hands. “We’re getting takeout again tonight, got any preference?”

“I’ve honestly been really liking that ramen place so lets get that.”

“Ooh yes, they have such good Yakisoba bowls.” Tanaka agreed.

  
  
  


Oikawa was jittery in the morning. He’d woken up way too early with the horrible realization that he hadn’t been in the waters since that typhoon. The thought of going back scared him more than it excited him to be honest. The nightmares he had from the first night were a constant reminder to him throughout the week. He hated to admit that it’s taken a toll on him.

As he was pulling on his shoes, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Iwaizumi was also awake and gave him a drawstring bag and his board.

“What’s in the bag?”

“Breakfast for the two of you. Plus sunscreen and water.”

“Iwa-chan are you my mom?” That earned Oikawa a kick to the back.

“I might as well if you’re starting to slack on your eating schedule.”

Oikawa grumbled as he took the drawstring bag and slipped it onto his back. “Is work is holding you back?”

“Yeah, some people want to rent a boat in twenty minutes and take it to the coral reefs.”

“But that’s a three hour boat ride, why can’t they just drive farther south and ask around there?”

“Who knows but money is money and we need it.”

Oikawa hummed in agreement and stood, taking one of the spare keys with him and slipping it into the bag. “I’ll be back at around lunch time.” 

Iwaizumi nodded, waving him off before muttering under his breath, “I doubt it.” before closing the door.

  
  
  


Seeing the waves again made Oikawa want to turn right back around and wait ‘till tomorrow. The only thing stopping him was the orange haired guy, sitting on one of the rocks with a new board and wetsuit on. Oikawa couldn’t help but admit that perhaps he had started to really like Hinata way too quickly… maybe. He honestly isn’t sure.

Hinata waved at him when he noticed Oikawa, carefully stepping off the rock and meeting him down on the sand.

“The waves do seem large today.” Hinata said, eyeing the waters.

Oikawa nervously glanced between Hinata and the ocean. “Yeah they really do.” Something soft gently grasped his hand and he looked down to see Hinata’s hand in his.

“You’re scared.” Hinata claimed. “I just thought this could help.”

Oikawa squeezed his hand. “Yeah I guess it does.” He dropped his bag, tied the string attached to his board to his leg, and let Hinata pull him towards the waves.

Getting out to deeper waters was challenging. Every time they’d dive under a wave, the undercurrent would push them back with it. They had to use the calm between waves to properly paddle out. 

Hinata seemed to not let Oikawa out of his sight, always looking around whenever he’d pop up after a dive.

_ It should be the opposite.  _ Oikawa thought. But to be honest, the thought of someone constantly looking out for him greatly calmed his fear.

“I heard your friends talking about some sort of important event a week back.” Oikawa said during a calm between the waves. “You play competitively?”

“Yeah, this’ll be the biggest one I’ll ever get to, which i'm really excited for.”

“What’s the name of it?”

A large wave was coming towards them, covering the sunrise from view.

“Oh well it’s actually for the Olympics.”

They duck under the wave and feel it push them back, their boards tucked to their chests. It seemed like the calm period had ended.

Oikawa couldn’t believe what he heard. “The Olympics? Like  _ The  _ Olympics? You’re gonna participate?” His voice sounded out of breath.

“Yeah, I mean you’ve seen me surf before right?”

He had, but never interacted with him. Seemingly too preoccupied in his own world to notice anything else.

He hummed before diving under another wave, noticing how Hinata hadn’t dove with him. Breaking the surface alone, he watched as Hinata flew off the wave’s shoulder, whooping in delight. Oikawa laughed as Hinata wiggled around like a fish before hitting the water.

Hinata paddled up to Oikawa, giggling to himself at the stunt he made. “Your turn, Oikawa-san.”

Oikawa wasn’t about to back down from a challenge. 

He waited for just the right wave before popping up and slashing his board twice on the wave. On his third slash though, the white waters caught up to him and jerked his board off his feet. He yelped as he plummeted down into the water, but caught himself and instead gracefully dove into the deeper waters the wave created.

Hinata clapped when he reached the surface, sitting up on his board. Oikawa swam towards him with his board being dragged behind him by the string. 

“How was that?” Oikawa asked.

“It was great! But I think you need to loosen up some.” Hinata said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Your shoulders and knees looked stiff from what I could see.”

Oikawa rested at the front of Hinata’s board as he talked.

“Think about...hmmm...think about a wave but it's just solid ground. If you were to ride it with the same stiffness as now, then you’ll have a higher chance of getting injured. Try to soften any blow the wave makes by giving a little. It’ll help you in the long run.”

Oikawa hummed, still latched onto Hinata’s board. His nervousness was still there, so maybe that’s what made him so stiff.

Hinata brought Oikawa’s board up to him and smiled, “Want to try again?”

  
  
  


Oikawa slumped into the sand after surfing through the waves for what seemed like hours. Hinata had been critiquing him on his stance and even helped him perfect a new move he’d been trying to learn before the storm hit. Hinata laid down next to him, breathing heavily after fighting with the waves while getting out.

“Jeez...those waves are...so strong.” Hinata said between breaths and Oikawa couldn’t help but agree with a huff.

He slowly sat up and reached for his bag, pulling out his phone.  _ 11:23  _ was way later than Oikawa had expected. They were here for five hours. His stomach grumbled loudly, Hinata playfully slapping his side when hearing it before his own stomach started growling as well.

“They’re communicating.” Hinata giggled.

“They’re saying that we gotta eat soon.” Oikawa mumbled before remembering the food in the bag and pulling it out. “Thank god we have Iwa-chan watching out for us.”

Hinata took one of the sandwiches from Oikawa’s outstretched hand and opened it, oohing at the contents within said sandwich. He said his thanks before tentatively taking a bite, widening his eyes and humming in delight at the taste. “This is really tasty! Tell Iwaizumi-san thank you.”

Oikawa nodded before taking a bite out of his own sandwich, surprising himself with how good it tasted. 

All of a sudden, a particularly large wave crashed towards them. Whitewater slid up past his foot before Oikawa yelped, jumping to his feet in a flash and grabbing his bag off the sand. Hinata made no move to stand, too engrossed in his sandwich to really care about the water currently splashing on his stomach and pushing at his back. He only realized when he started to float away, holding up his sandwich so the water wouldn't ruin it, with a perplexed look on his face.

Oikawa snorted loudly when a wave collapsed on top of Hinata, slapping his hair into his face and ruining his sandwich. 

“My sandwich!” Hinata wailed before gasping dramatically, “Oh no the boards!”

Oikawa threw his bag to the farthest rock from shore before running back into the water to catch the boards before they were too far away. The waves also seemed to push his hair into his face as he got out with each board in hand.

Hinata laughed at Oikawa’s new hairdo as he got out, one board under each arm.

  
  
  


With their breakfast being practically ruined, they decided to go to the pastry shop. The nice shop owner, named Sugawara, had laughed when he heard Hinata’s exaggerated story of their ruined breakfast and decided to give them each an extra pastry. “It’s on the house.” He said cheekily.

“Can I buy this for you?” Oikawa asked inside one of the stores neighboring the pastry shop. The key chain in his hand was of a small island with a palm tree and surfboard on top. The surfboard looked almost exactly like Hinata’s new board.

Hinata nodded excitedly before scurrying off deeper inside the store. He came out with a shark tooth necklace in his hand, waiting for Oikawa to bow his head towards him to slip it on. Hinata stepped back and smiled, proud that he found something that looked good on Oikawa.

“I’ll buy you that then.” He said happily.

With new gifts and bellies full, they said their goodbyes and had promised to meet again, tomorrow to be exact.

Their almost daily morning meetups soon became a routine for them. They’d critique each other on different things they saw and goofed around when there were no waves to surf. Oikawa had already gotten used to the bright haired man at his side.

_ Like a second sunrise _ . He’d think, that blinded him from all his doubts and fears.

  
  
  


But it seemed that the second sunrise couldn't always be there.

Hinata broke the news to him while they were wading into the waters. He was moving back to the mainland after the Olympics. It hurt Oikawa’s heart to hear that and Hinata could see it.

“Don’t worry,” He said. “That just means that I’ll have to spend as much time as I can with you for this last month!” His tone was cheery but Oikawa knew he was also dejected.

They’d spent most of their morning that day, quietly.

True to Hinata’s word, they did hangout more than they had before. They tried more of Suga’s pastries, hiked up to the top of one of the mountains, biked around town square, and even rode on a jetski together. 

Hinata seemed to have loved the jet skis since he was clutching at Oikawa’s back while screaming in delight.

Before they knew it, a whole week had passed.

  
  
  


A lazy afternoon dragged out the remaining hours of the day. It was one of Oikawa’s “rest-days” and he could be found lounging on the couch, watching the news for the upcoming Olympics. 

In two weeks time, he’ll be performing out on the waters trying to up his opponent, whomever that may be. He should be getting an email or mail of somesort, explaining where he’d be surfing and who his opponent is. But for the time being, the thought of coffee urged him towards the kitchen.

Hinata also had a “rest-day” but he usually took his on the weekend and not in the middle of the week.

” _ Having it in the middle of the week would just throw me off.”  _ He had said a few mornings back. 

Oikawa could easily guess that he’d be out on the waters, enjoying the waves as they lapped around him and perhaps some fangirls were looking at him.

His eye twitched as he took a sip of his freshly brewed coffee. At least he won't go out to waters that could drown him. 

A quiet knock pulled Oikawa out of his thoughts. The knock was heavier than Hinata’s, and sounded duller from what he remembered.

_ Did something happen? _

He strode towards the door, coffee in hand and was greeted with a thin package at the foot of the door. In chicken scratch handwriting, he could see his own name and the words “Olympic Committee”.

“Congratulations.” Oikawa looked up to see Ukai-san in his truck. “It was dropped off this morning at the shop, seems like you’ll be well known soon enough.” He drove off, waving a hand behind him before Oikawa had a chance to reply.

He picked up the package, feeling how it was in no way sturdy, and toed the door closed behind him. The couch welcomed him with a creak as he went to rip open the package with his name on it. Inside was an envelope and a new wetsuit.

_ “Dear Oikawa Tooru, _

_ We hope you are well during these final weeks before the Olympics. Inside this package, you will find a new wetsuit and with it, a lanyard with a code and a plane ticket to your first competition. We are lucky to be able to get all of this by donations and would wish for you to wear the wetsuit to the competition. The lanyard will grant you access to all Olympic facilities and dorms needed.  _

_ Welcome to Team Japan. _

_ Regards, The Japan Olympic Committee” _

Oikawa read it once more, letting the words sink in. Something felt off about the letter. He read it another time before realizing he didn’t know who he’s competing against. Perhaps there’s another note inside the package? 

He took out the black and red colored wetsuit and carefully unfolded it. Just like the package said, the lanyard and ticket were right on the front of the suit. A small note peaked out from the lanyard. His eyes widened when he read through it.

_ “Although this is not the greatest set up, your first competitor is also on the team. His name is Hinata Shoyou, a young but promising player.” _

Hinata Shoyou. The guy he’d been hanging out with for the past two weeks and the one he saved. He was his opponent.

_ This must be some sort of sick joke. _

His phone rang in his pocket. He would be ignoring it if it didn’t say  _ Shoyou  _ on it.

“Did you get it?” Hinata’s voice was frantic.

“I did,” Oikawa answered. “And I don't want to believe it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me.” 

Oikawa stiffened at the sourness of Hinata’s tone. “What do you mean?”

“You never told me that you were also competing.”

Oikawa felt like an absolute idiot. For all that time Hinata had no idea that they were going to be in the Olympics together. He rubbed his palm against his forehead before replying, “I thought I told you, but I guess it slipped my mind.”

Hinata sighed through the phone, “How are we supposed to compete against each other? I mean we’ve basically been learning the same thing--”

“We have to show who’s better at it to the judges.” Oikawa cut him off.

“Does this mean that we can’t meet up in the mornings?”

_ Where did that come from? _ “What? No, of course not. Just cause we’re competing doesn’t mean we can’t stay together anymore.” 

“Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“Tomorrow morning.” Oikawa repeated before saying his goodbye and ending the call, placing his phone on the coffee table.

He sat up and lifted up the new wetsuit at arm's length. It was a mostly black wetsuit with some reds and whites at the sides, legs and crisscrossing at the front. Oikawa wasn't much of a big fan of wetsuits but, if people were to ask him to wear one, he would.

After setting down the wetsuit, he picked up the plane ticket, reading aloud,

_ “From: Yakushima Airport  _ _ Take-Off: 13:50 _

_To: Sendai Airport_ _Landing: 18:23”_

_ That’s six hundred kilometres away from home. _

The thought of leaving the island almost seemed impossible to Oikawa. Hell, he didn’t even remember what the mainland was like. 

_ Are there really buildings as tall as the sky and plains as far as the eye could see?  _

Was the question he’d asked ever since his forgetfulness about the mainland. Now he had the chance to see if it were true.

  
  
  


The morning before their flight, Hinata and Oikawa agreed to meet up at the beach. 

The sand, soft as ever, greeted them both as they walked down to the beach together, boards in hand. Without saying anything, they took off their shirts and shorts and were left with their new wet suits on. 

They weren't expecting the other to wear theirs too. 

In Oikawa’s opinion, he’d say Japan’s wet suit fit Hinata better than him. But he’d been too scared to say that aloud.

They shuffled into the water, both dragging their feet to see who could relinquish the sand longer. By the time the water was to their waists, Oikawa had let himself give Hinata the victory and instead paddled outwards on his board.

There were almost no waves. The ones that formed were tiny ones right by the shore.

“They’re saying the waves up north are spectacular for surfing.” Hinata paddled up to him. “But I doubt the views are as good as this.”

Oikawa rested his cheek on his board. “What’s the mainland like?”

Surprise etched itself into Hinata’s face. “You mean you don’t know?”

“I don’t remember. The last time I was there was when I was six.”

“Well,” Hinata sat up on his board “from where I’m from, it’s definitely livelier than here.”

Oikawa hummed and copied Hinata.

“Tokyo has this huge tower nicknamed the Sky Tree! I’d say it’s as tall as--” Hinata turned back towards the island and pointed to one of the mountains. “That one! During the holidays or special events, it’d light up in different colors. Usually the colors would mean something but I never really paid attention as to what they could mean.”

“Does it snow there too?”

“Yeah, every winter. Have you ever seen snow?” An image of Oikawa with snow in his hair and a bright grin made Hinata’s cheeks tint pink.

“Is it that white stuff that melts into water?”

Hinata nodded, shoulders sagging. “You really don’t remember anything from the mainland.”

Oikawa grabbed Hinata’s board and shook it. “Don’t act so sad, this island ain’t too bad.”

Hinata slapped his hand and splashed him lightly. “But I’d feel bored if I were stuck on this island.”

Oikawa splashed him back. “I’ve got the stuff I need here plus a job.” He wickedly grinned before proceeding to flip Hinata’s board who wailed in surprise.

Hinata swam under Oikawa’s board and grabbed him with a yell. Oikawa screeched when he felt arms wrap around his waist and pull him down into the water.

They broke the surface laughing and gasping for breath, sharing Oikawa’s board to rest on.

Oikawa’s eyes were something else to Hinata. Chocolate orbs with a tinge of gold swirled within it were focused on his own. The sunrise could only make those eyes shine even brighter.

Then, as if it was the most natural thing to do, they both leaned in ever so slowly. Hinata didn’t know what he was doing but, the hand that reached up to cup his face made everything seem alright.

His lips were so, so soft. Oikawa wouldn’t have believed it a few minutes ago. The kiss was simple, but held so much meaning.

Suddenly, Hinata pulled away shrieking.

Oikawa stared frozen in horror as he watched Hinata’s face change to one of horror. Something, almost sharp like, pained his chest. 

_ Did I do something wrong? _

“Stupid crab!”

Oh.

Oikawa proceeded to bang his head into his board.

“I- Oh, are you alright, Tooru?”

His eye twitched before he seemingly lunged at Hinata screaming, “Do you know how much you scared me there? I thought you hated me-”

Hinata threw his hands in front of him in surrender, “Why would you think that when I just k-kissed you?” he stuttered. 

“Oh well I don't know, maybe perhaps it's because you jumped away from me yelling?” Oikawa said sarcastically. “I actually thought you were disgusted with me.”

Hinata blinked before bursting out laughing, earning a face full of water. He weakly splashed back before feeling Oikawa yank at his hand and bringing it to his neck. “Oh my- oh my god your pulse. It’s so fast what the heck.” Hinata said between laughs.

“That’s how scared I was.” Oikawa said, laughing quietly himself.

  
  
  


Paddling back was full of laughing and splashing as the two made it to shore. Hinata even got Oikawa back by tipping his board over and smearing sand in his hair. Oikawa, in a fit of anger, had thrown sand back which hit Hinata right on the chest. He faked his death while waxing random poetic lines about his end with Oikawa playing along as his lover. He kissed Hinata again when he leaned over him on the sand. 

They slowly opened their eyes as they parted, smiling softly.

“So what does this make us?” Hinata asked.

“Does it matter?” Oikawa raised a brow.

Hinata raised a hand and brushed a hair annoying Oikawa’s nose away, humming. “I guess not, but I just want to make sure that we’re...”

“Boyfriends?” Oikawa answered, feeling how Hinata’s hand rested on his cheek. “I’d like that actually.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Oikawa collapsed on Hinata, knocking the air out of his lungs before he hugged him tightly. Before Hinata could hug him back, he pushed back up.

“Wait a second.”

“What is it?” Worry twisted into Hinata’s face.

“Back there in the water, you called me  _ Tooru. _ ”

“O-oh I did?” Hinata scratched at his cheek, “Should I stay with-”

“Say it again.” Oikawa interrupted.

“Excuse me?” Hinata’s eyes widened, “I- uh, Tooru?”

“Again.”

“Tooru.”

“Shoyou.”

Hinata’s face tinted in a pleasant pink. “So we’re on a first name basis now?”

“You’re the one who started it.” Oikawa replied with an amused grin.

HInata hummed before slowly sitting up after Oikawa clambered off of him. He carefully brushed off some of the sand that was still stuck in Oikawa’s hair before standing up and reaching out a hand. Oikawa took it and they both waded back into the water, cleaning the rest of the sand off of themselves before heading back to town square.

They both had about two hours before taking a bus to the airport that was right by the beach.

Hinata had finished his packing the night before, but Oikawa still had to pack a few things. So they decided why not just hangout while Oikawa packed.

Oikawa announced his arrival to Iwaizumi before realizing that he was probably still asleep with how quiet the house was. The two new arrivals settled down their boards by the door before tiptoeing to Oikawa’s room, being careful of that one creak in the floor.

Hinata flopped face first onto Oikawa’s bed after closing the door behind him, smelling the sheets. Oikawa laughed, as he went straight to work finding the rest of the clothes he’ll bring.

  
  
  


Oikawa, Hinata, Iwaizumi, Tanaka, and Nishinoya all climbed into the bus together two hours later. The bus was stuffy and cold at the same time. Oikawa couldn't stop sneezing the whole way through and Iwaizumi scoffed at him whenever he’d be too loud. Hinata thought it was cute and would make an effort to say “bless you” for every sneeze. Tanaka and Nishinoya seemed to think that it was too early in the morning and slept all the way to the airport.

The group yanked their bags out of the bottom cubbies of the bus and Oikawa and Hinata carefully unslotted their boards from the side of the bus. They all said their thanks to the bus driver before walking into the entrance of the airport. 

Yakushima Airport was a tiny airport right by the beach. Small propeller planes took off and landed on the runway constantly with a few larger planes on standby. Oikawa grimaced, propeller planes were so noisy and had constantly woke him up when they flew by the town.

He sighed as he realized that their plane was one of the smallest propeller planes. Which meant that it was probably the loudest. 

Oikawa climbed into the plane and was pleasantly surprised by how spacious, clean, and most importantly, how quiet the interior was. He settled down next to Hinata’s seat with Iwaizumi across from them and Nishinoya and Tanaka were behind them.

To say that Oikawa was unprepared for takeoff was an understatement.

He gripped at Hinata’s hand as they ascended to the skies and felt his stomach drop when turbulence passed through the plane. Nishinoya had snickered behind him, seemingly unable to hold his laughter all the way in when Oikawa’s face scrunched up. 

Iwaizumi wasn’t much better but he was able to hold his composure more than Oikawa. Only his face was scrunched up.

Once they were high up in the sky, things had calmed down letting Oikawa and Iwaizumi fully relax. Iwaizumi even started to lightly snore which encouraged the others to take pictures of his dopey face.

All in all, it felt like a short flight to the Sendai Airport. 

The group stretched and yawned as one by one they filed off of the plane. 

After grabbing their bags and boards, they headed out of the airport while joking about Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s face when they were landing. The two absolutely refused to believe that they made faces even when Tanaka had shown them the pictures on his phone. They were both held back by Nishinoya and Hinata as they bickered at Tanaka who just laughed giddily. 

Oikawa had never seen so many roads and cars in one place.

“Wait till you see the city.” Nishinoya had told him, happily hopping along to catch up to Tanaka who was talking to Iwaizumi before jumping on him.

They hailed taxis that took them right to the heart of Sendai. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had stared out the windows, too engrossed at looking at all the new things they’d been missing out on.

“What’s that?” Oikawa had asked Hinata when he saw what looked like a large fish made out of cookies… or was it bread?

Hinata gaped at him and said, “You mean you’ve never tried taiyaki before?”

“Nope, never.”

“Me neither.” Iwaizumi joined in.

“Oh my god I have to tell Tanaka and Nishinoya-senpai about this.” Hinata quickly fished out his phone and dialed Tanaka’s number. “Tanaka-san you wouldn’t believe what Tooru and Iwaizumi-san had never had before.”

There was a pause as Hinata listened to Tanaka guess.

“They never had Taiyaki before. We have to show them the deliciousness of the bread and filling  _ tonight _ .” He said seriously as if it were a life or death situation before ending the call.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi shrugged at each other and guessed that whatever they would try would taste incredible.

  
  
  


“Wow, it’s as crispy as I’d expected.” Iwaizumi had said when he and Oikawa were handed each their own chocolate filled taiyaki, hearing how his crinkled under his grasp.

“Cheers.” Tanaka held up his Taiyaki which was filled with red bean paste. The others also held up their treats saying the same.

Oikawa carefully bit into his and was surprised with how much filling was inside his. He hummed happily as he chewed through the tasty treat. 

“Where had this been all of my life?” He asked to no one in particular.

“So you like it?” Hinata asked him after swallowing his bite of the treat.

Oikawa nodded, carefully wiping away a bit of the filling on Hinata’s cheek and tasted it. “Is this sweet potato?”

Hinata lifted up his taiyaki, “Want to try some more? I can never finish these in one go.”

Oikawa carefully bit off a side of the offering, enjoying the taste before giving Hinata a thumbs up. 

“Hey lovebirds, we’re going back to the hotel.” Nishinoya called out, waving a hand behind him.

The two sidestep away from each other with reddened cheeks, completely forgetting that  _ Crap, we were doing all that in public. _ They jogged to catch up to the others who were winding through the many small shops that opened up only at night.

  
  
  


Tomorrow, they’ll see who will come out on top. As much as Oikawa and Hinata want to room together, it seemed like the others had better plans for them. While they had their own rooms, Iwaizumi, Tanaka, and Nishinoya all shared a room. Tanaka had said that it was absolutely crucial for them because, “it’s for meditational purposes so that you guys don't get distracted.”

Of course, they had tried to secretly meet up. Around twenty minutes ago, Oikawa had attempted to sneak into Hinata’s room upon his request, only to be dragged back to his own by Iwaizumi.

Oikawa reached for his phone when he heard it on the bedside table, seeing Hinata’s text saying that he was about to try to get into his room. He snickered, sitting up and quietly unlocking his door.

_ Door’s open.  _ He typed out to Hinata.

A few moments later, with his head leaned against the door, he heard light padding of feet against the carpet coming closer and closer to him. He held his breath, waiting for one of the other three to come out and scold Hinata but it never came. His door creaked open as he moved out of the way.

Hinata tiptoed into his room, quietly closing the door and locking it before letting out a sigh of relief. “Looks like I’m better at sneaking out.”

“Oh screw off.” Oikawa joked, moving to practically drape himself over Hinata before humming in thought. “It’s only 8:25, want to watch a movie? I heard that the new one they advertised for a month is gonna be on around now.”

Hinata nodded into his chest before waddling towards the bed with Oikawa clinging onto his back. “Hey, it’s only been like what thirty minutes and you’re missing me this much?”

“Well of course, you are my boyfriend.” Oikawa singsonged in Hinata’s ear, making him shudder.

They collapsed together on the bed, curled into each other as Oikawa searched for the channel with the new movie.

“So I hear Tanaka is going to be your jet ski backup.” Oikawa said as he rapidly clicked through the channels. “Y’know I’ve never actually seen him jetski before.”

“Yeah he’ll be my backup. He usually doesn’t feel comfortable riding other ones because he feels like he’s becoming a traitor to his own. His older sister agreed to bring his jet ski to the competition so he’ll definitely be out on the waters with me. I'm guessing Iwaizumi will be your backup?” Hinata asked.

“It seemed like he was, but I’m actually not sure. He’s similar to Tanaka with his jet ski and he didn’t say anything about bringing it with him.” Oikawa noted glumly.

Hinata hugged him tighter, noticing his quick change of mood. “I don’t think you should worry about that. Even if Iwaizumi-san wouldn’t be able to be your backup, I’m sure whoever will be, will make sure that you’re safe.”

Oikawa nodded when he found the right channel, watching as the beginning credits of the movie rolled through and sunk into Hinata’s hug, sighing.

The movie was actually quite boring and too predictable. Hinata had fallen asleep first, curled up and snoring softly into Oikawa’s chest. As much as Oikawa wanted to sleep, the thought of his jetski backup kept him up for a bit later. By the time he fell asleep, the movie had ended and was rolling it’s ending credits.

  
  
  


“Hinata, hey Hinata wake up.” Tanaka knocked on Hinata’s door. “Alright if you’re not gonna answer then I’m coming in and you’d better be covered.”

Nishinoya, who was beside him, did the honors of unlocking the door with the spare key. “Shoyou, we’re in your room. Come out come out wherever you are!”

Tanaka lightly padded into the room only to see it lacking the orange head. “He’s not in here.” He said surprised.

“Oh my god you know what that means? He’s probably with Oikawa-san.” Nishinoya said excitedly before running out of the room and to Oikawa’s room. He slipped out the right key to the room just as Iwaizumi was coming out of their shared room.

“What are you doing?” Iwaizumi stared at Nishinoya.

“I’m pretty sure Shoyou snuck into Oikawa’s room.” He grinned evilly, “I’m so gonna get them back for not listening to us.” He unlocked the door before stealthily slipping through with Tanaka and Iwaizumi following behind.

Tanaka and Nishinoya both quietly gasped while Iwaizumi just groaned.

Hinata was sleeping right on top of Oikawa with his head rested at his collarbone. They were sleeping peacefully under the covers except for Oikawa’s arms which were seen wrapped snugly around Hinata’s back. 

Nishinoya quickly snapped a few pictures of them before showing it to the others who nodded in approval. He handed his phone to Tanaka before, to Iwaizumi’s dismay, leaping onto the two while screeching,

“Wake up, love bugs, It’s time for your big showdown!”

Oikawa groaned when he felt additional weight collapse onto him and tried to push them off only for them to push back. The weight that was on him before the attack was also pushed away, making him feel too light. He shielded his eyes when someone abruptly opened the blinds which streamed sunlight into his eyes.

“Alright, alright I’m up.” Oikawa said groggily while lazily flapping his hand at whoever just jumped onto him.

“Good, now get your ass downstairs. They’ve got free breakfast for only another fifteen minutes so you’d better hurry up.” Oikawa knew that was Iwaizumi’s gruff voice.

He opened his eyes just a tad before saying, “Just give me a moment, i'm trying not to get blinded.”

“Don’t you mean  _ us _ ?” Tanaka snickered before pointing at something- or rather someone laying next to him.

_ Oh my god. _ “Get out.” Oikawa knew he was blushing like mad.

“It’s a bit too late y’know, I mean I’ve already-”

“Get out!” Oikawa shrieked, cutting off Nishinoya’s sentence.

The three scurried out of the room with Tanaka and Nishinoya cackling on the way out. At least they closed the door before leaving.

Oikawa sighed dramatically before glancing at his side. He brushed a stray strand of hair away from Hinata’s face who somehow had slept through all of the commotion. He huffed to himself, amused by his new discovery.

_ Seems like the second sunrise comes after the first. _

He leaned down over Hinata and started to give him light pecks on the cheeks, on the nose, on the forehead, but not on the lips. 

Soon, Hinata awoke and wrapped his arms around Oikawa’s neck to pull him down for a kiss, this time on the lips. He hummed disdainfully a moment after. 

“You’ve got some serious morning breath, Tooru.”

They jolted away from each other when they heard loud knocking on the door.

“Ten minutes lovebirds!” They heard Nishinoya yell through the door before hearing another voice, most likely Tanaka’s ask,

“Love bugs or lovebirds, choose one.”

“Do I have to? It’s not like it matters.” Nishinoya’s voice had started to become muffled as the two walked away from their room.

“I guess we should start getting ready then.” Hinata said groggily before climbing out of bed and slipping on his shirt and shorts.

  
  
  


Breakfast was nothing special. The remaining food was left on trays saying, “Take all before it goes to the dump” but it was good enough for the group to choose between what kind of toast or eggs they wanted to eat. Oikawa had been furious when he saw a glimpse of one of Nishinoya’s pictures of him and Hinata and tried to swipe the phone away from him only to miss.

“That’s what you get for not listening to us when we tell you to not sleep together. Ya’ll would’ve probably done some stupid shit had we not at least tried to separate you two.” Iwaizumi scolded, making the two blush.

“Aside from that, did you guys sleep well?” Tanaka asked while wiggling his eyebrows.

“Actually yeah, I think the best I’ve had in a while.” Hinata stated matter of factly.

“I stayed up for a bit longer ‘cause I had trouble falling asleep.” Oikawa followed only to be given a worried side glance by Hinata.

“Was it because…” Hinata trailed off with Oikawa nodding.

“Is everything alright?” Iwaizumi asked with furrowed brows.

“Yeah I just-”

“He’s worried about who would be his jetski backup.” Hinata cut him off.

“Shoyou, seriously?” Oikawa hissed.

“Well you shouldn’t worry about that.” Iwaizumi rested his arms on the table as he leaned forward. “I’ll be your backup even if I don’t have my usual jetski with me.”

Oikawa put his hand on his chest before saying, “Oh Iwa-chan, reliable as ever. Why did I even need to worry?” He faked wiping a tear away from his eyes which earned him a light kick to the shin.

  
  
  


With stomachs full, they pile into one of the rooms as per Iwaizumi’s request.

“Ok, so it’s now about eight forty so we should start heading down to the bus in about ten minutes. From what I heard, Hinata and Oikawa, you both need to already be in your wet suits with your lanyards around your necks or they won't let you on.”

“What about you guys?” Oikawa asked.

“We’ll be coming later. First, we have to go and grab our jetskis. We’ll meet you both there at the time of the event.” Iwaizumi responded.

“What if we get lost?” Hinata asked as he fiddled with his thumbs.

“There’ll be escorts guiding you guys to your spots. A round should be going before you so you could watch and see who your potential opponent could be.” 

Nishinoya stood up on the bed and pumped his fists into the air yelling, “Let’s get packing for the showdown!”

Hinata and Oikawa both stood up and shuffled out of the room to start putting their stuff together, quietly talking to each other.

“Dude you’re too hyper about this.” Tanaka chuckled under his breath.

“Am not, we’re about to see our friends compete for the first time. It’ll also probably be our last too.”

“ _ Our last? _ Wait what do you mean by that?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Oh well…” Tanaka started.

  
  
  


The bus that came to pick Oikawa and Hinata up was more like a large minivan. The woman driving had yelled out to them, immediately asking for their lanyards and snatching them away for a moment before giving them back and yelling for the two to get in. She was a petite woman with brown hair and a hard look on her face. Yet among all the yelling, she came out of the van and helped the two load their boards into the trunk with practiced haste.

The three others waved as Oikawa and Hinata were driven off towards the competition.

“Don’t move the board.” The woman snapped when Oikawa had tried to nudge the board away when it had hit his head for the third time in ten minutes. “I gotta see what’s behind me. If you’d have thought a little bit then you could be at the front seat with the AC on instead of frying like a fish back there with your boyfriend.”

Hinata’s face was a mix of pure shock and amusement as Oikawa looked towards him helplessly. He was just as useless as him when he just shrugged awkwardly.

  
  
  


Oikawa had expected the event to be large, he knew it was the  _ Olympics _ for a reason, but not ginormous.

The crowd was layered with locals, tourists, broadcasters, and officials. Oikawa had never seen so many people in one place before. He could feel his heart race as the van stopped before a sea of people. Him and Hinata clamored out of the vehicle before running to the trunk to get their bags and boards out.

Broadcasters were aimed at them right away as reporters rambled off about his and Hinata's backgrounds and stats. He scoffed to himself and wondered if they knew of his childhood fear.

Did he have that fear anymore?

Hinata glanced at Oikawa and instantly knew he was overwhelmed. Even he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people crowded around them.

They weave through the crowds with an escort, a tall man about their age who looked a bit too bored. Then right before they were separated to go to their locations for their competition, they shook hands.

Of course, this caught more of the broadcasting’s attention as they aimed their cameras at them. 

“I’ll see you out on the waters.” Hinata announced, as if talking loudly on purpose. 

It took Oikawa only a second to realize why. “Yeah, you better not slack.”

They turned away from each other, following their new escorts to where they will watch the first competitors step up for the first round.

They had fifteen minutes of glory to show what they got against the waves. Any moment of slack could land you on a game of catch up.

Oikawa watched as one man slashed at the waves, similar to how he does, but in a much messier way. He winced when at one point, the wave unexpectedly crashed on top of the man, making him wipe out.

He was no match compared to the other man who almost seemed to be able to use the wave to his own advantage. Oikawa had hints of his name. 

Ushijima… something toshi. Whoever this Ushijima guy was made his skin crawl irritably.

Unsurprisingly, Ushijima had won in a landslide of points as the other competitor was patted on the back by what Oikawa would have guessed were his friends.

_“Five minutes before_ _group two’s competition.”_ Someone had announced over a loudspeaker.

_ Where the hell is Iwa-chan.  _ Oikawa thought as he rapidly bounced his leg against the chair given to him. He felt sick and adrenaline high at the same time to the point that it was dizzying. He could feel himself slowly freaking out as he fidgeted in his seat waiting for his childhood friend.

_ Did he get stuck in traffic? _

_ Was he unable to get his jetski? _

_ What’s Hinata doing right now? _

_ Has Tanaka come back to him already? _

_ What the hell is taking- _

Hands grasped his shoulders and before he knew it, Oikawa was staring into Iwaizumi’s eyes.

“Hey.” 

“H-hi.” Oikawa stuttered out.

“You’re freaking out right now, which I’m honestly not too surprised about.” Iwaizumi sighed. “To be honest all of this is also overwhelming me too.”

“How bad- how bad am I freaking out?”

“Well you’re stuttering and bouncing your leg like crazy to the point where your escort had to run and get me.”

“Oh.” Oikawa numbly said.

“I asked for another two minutes so that I could get you to calm down, alright?” Iwaizumi carefully took Oikawa’s hand and raised it over his heart. “Breathe with me for a bit ok?”

Oikawa inhaled and exhaled, smelling the salty air both stung his nose and calmed him down. He closed his eyes, letting Iwaizumi pull him down to rest his head on his shoulder as he slowly rubbed his back.

“Is he alright?”

Oikawa tried to jerk his head up only for Iwaizumi to tighten his hold on him, grasping at his head and keeping it on his shoulder.

“He’ll be ok, we’ll be ready in two minutes.” Oikawa heard Iwaizumi say calmly.

_ Two minutes to calm down. _

_ Two minutes to get myself ready and- _

“Don’t think about the time right now. Just focus on me.” Iwaizumi interrupted his thought. He continued to rub his back and breathe deeply with him.

Just as the two minute mark had passed, Oikawa slowly lifted his head up. Iwaizumi placed his hands at his shoulders again and stared into his eyes.

“Tell me that you’re ready.”

“I am.” Oikawa replied.

“Are you sure? Are you ready to compete with all you’ve got?”

Oikawa’s gaze hardened. “Of course.”

Iwaizumi stood, reaching out a hand for Oikawa to take. “Then let's get out there already.”

Oikawa grasped the hand and let it lead him towards the shore. Officials announced his and Hinata’s name and explained to the broadcasting crew as to how scoring and time would work. Their two highest scoring performances on the waves would be added together to give them their total. To get points, a surfer had to have good balance, speed, and power to their tricks. The more combinations of tricks done on a wave, the better the score.

At least that’s what Oikawa got the jist of. The waves here were smooth and easily reached twelve feet. He gulped as he saw a wave rock a jetski, making it almost topple onto its side.

Iwaizumi was on a rental jetski in the water already waiting for Oikawa. He clambered onto the small platform and let Iwaizumi take them both far out into the waters.

At the same time, Hinata had gotten onto Tanaka’s jetski, the two talking lightly to each other as if Hinata weren't about to compete in the Olympics.

A horn blew when the two were set up.

Immediately, Hinata had gotten onto a ten foot wave, going into the barrel of it and slashing at the top when the time was right. Cheering could be heard as a response to the performance as announcers excitedly babbled to their audiences.

_ “Hinata Shoyou making a show of himself right off the bat!” _

“You’d better not be thinking about him right now, you hear?” Iwaizumi called over his shoulder.

Oikawa grumbled to himself before spotting a wave before him starting to form. “Get me to that on up front.”

The jetski lurched them forward and before Oikawa knew it, he was taking off from the jetski and onto the wave.

His board shook horribly under his feet, as if he had no grip on it. He crouched down as the barrel of the wave caught up to him, trapping him in.

He felt the claustrophobia trying to distract him, but kept pushing his board forward to the opening. The water lapped at his shoulders and back, attempting to make him unbalanced but even with imbalance, Oikawa was able to come out of the barrel unscathed.

_ “Oikawa Tooru, even with a bit of shakiness, was able to hold himself well in the barrel for the whole time.” _

_ Oh shut up.  _ Oikawa grimaced.

Iwaizumi was next to him in a second. “That’s a good start. You still have ten minutes to finish.”

They drove over the waves, waiting for the perfect one before letting Oikawa surf it. Turns out, Tanaka and Hinata had thought of the same thing as both surfers dispatched down onto the same wave.

Oikawa could feel Hinata’s eyes, focused and sharp, on him. He slashed at the wave once before hearing Hinata do the same. His eye twitched.

_ He’s testing me right now? _

Oikawa slashed again and again at the wave before arching back behind to watch Hinata, who did the same exact thing except he didn't pull back. It’s as if he were saying,

_ Watch and learn, Tooru. _

He did just that as he watched Hinata drop down to the bottom of the wave before flinging his board up to the top and twisting in a full circle before cleanly landing and trying it again. It was as if Oikawa was entranced by Hinata’s presence.

Before Oikawa could do anything, the wave died down before them, ending their inner quarrel. He huffed irritably before dropping down into the water and climbing onto the jetski.

The competitors stood by as a calm period washed over the shore. Two, three, four minutes later the waves had finally started to pick back up.

Tanaka had whooped loudly as Hinata took on a huge sixteen foot wave with incredible speed. His board bounced on the smaller bumps of the wave, making him look as if he were hopping into the air. He slashed at the top twice before leaping into the air and landing with the back of his board facing the bottom of the wave. He skillfully turned himself around, only for the whitewater to catch up to him and make him wipe out.

Oikawa could hear Iwaizumi hiss when he saw the wave slap against Hinata’s back. He wanted to worry, but if he did then that was the end for him. He called for Iwaizumi to hail him to one of the larger waves next, receiving a grunt in return.

They only had to wait for a moment before a twenty foot high wave was forming just for Oikawa. It’s steepness allowed him to gain a constant speed even when he slashed and let the barrel of the wave catch up to him.

His performance on this particular was nothing special. Other than his new sense of balance that let him ride on the top and neatly drop down to the bottom of the wave. 

That performance earned him loud cheering and applause as he glided over the top of the dulled down wave.

A chorus of “oohing” came from the crowd as Oikawa only saw a glimpse when another wave knocked Hinata off his board nearby, making him tumble down the face of it haphazardly.

He felt his blood run cold when he realized Hinata had fallen a good twelve feet head first and hadn't come up after the wave passed.

“Something’s wrong.” Oikawa had heard himself say, hearing Iwaizumi hum in agreement.

“They’ll take care of him if he's hurt.” Iwaizumi responded. “Look I think that one will be around fourteen feet.”

Oikawa had to pry his eyes away to focus on the upcoming wave. 

Throughout his whole ride, he couldn’t help but listen as the crowd became louder. His board shook from under him again and he felt the exact moment when he lost control of it.

The wave arched him, pulling him onto the top of the barrel before slamming him down deep under the water.

Memories of the nightmare he had before flashed through his mind, making him snap his eyes open.

_ Everything looked black except for the small light coming from the surface above him. _

Looking up, an exact replica of his nightmare seemed to present itself to him.

He thrashed in the water, trying to swim up only to have his arms and legs felt like jelly.

_ What’s happening to me? _

Air escaped freely from his mouth, only leading him to panic even more. 

_ I thought I was ok, that I was over this fear! _

He tried to breathe in only to swallow water that stung his throat.

_ Why can’t I swim? _

His arms pushed at the water uselessly, as if something was keeping him down. 

_ This is too similar to that- _

A hand grabbed onto his arm and yanked him upwards. He opened his eyes- when did he close his eyes?- and saw as the surface came closer and closer.

Oh how glad he was to break the surface. He coughed and hacked his lungs out while being given a board to grab onto. Someone was rubbing his back again, their hand smaller than Iwaizumi’s but just as calloused. He shuddered as he felt the last of the water leave his lungs.

Looking up, he noticed he was flanked by Tanaka and Iwaizumi on either side and the board given to him was Hinata’s. Which meant-

“You’re alright Tooru.”

Hinata was there at his side, rubbing his back.

Oikawa nodded numbly before asking, “Where’s my board?”

“It’s back up by the beach. One of the officials are bringing it over.” Iwaizumi responded before helping Hinata transfer him onto the small jetski platform.

“How did you know that I wasn’t coming up?” Oikawa asked.

Hinata hummed for a moment before replying, “Well I also got caught in that strong undercurrent so I guessed that you were stuck and swam over.”

“It’s a good thing that he did.” Tanaka claimed. “We had no idea where you were and the crowd kinda freaked out when you two were both out of sight for like what, twenty seconds?”

“At least the officials didn’t stop the competition,” Iwaizumi sighed.

“Are you all alright to continue?” A woman on a jetski came up to them.

“Yeah we’re all fine, right Tooru?” Hinata asked in which Oikawa nodded.

The woman smiled before lifting Oikawa’s board, which was strapped at the end of the jetski, and handed it to him. “Then you’ll need this to finish. Good luck you two.” She waved before driving back to shore.

_ “Turns out both competitors are fine. With five minutes on the clock, will they be able to get in some good waves?” _

Cheering could be heard from the shore, encouraging the group to continue. They split up, finding their own waves and this time Oikawa found a wave first.

This was probably his best performance yet. His head felt clear and no random thought was there to distract him. He slashed and spun on the wave, a perfect wave in his opinion, before easing into the barrel of the wave all the way until the wave dulled.

He grinned when he got an idea.

He slashed his board once on the remaining tip before diving down to the base of the wave and back up. This time, he let himself freely fly, holding up peace signs for the crowd as if saying that everything was alright.

The crowd cheered and whistled, enjoying his unique performance.

Although, it wasn't as unique anymore when Hinata had done the same thing but instead wiggled around like a fish in the air, just like how he did on his first hangout with Oikawa.

The horn blew, ending their round together.

  
  
  


_ “And the results are in! After an incredibly entertaining showdown between Japan’s surfers, the competitor who will move onto the next round is… Hinata Shoyou.” _

Hinata had yelled in delight, with Tanaka and Nishinoya hugging either side of him and lifting him up into the air. 

_ “We would also like to congratulate Oikawa Tooru on his grand finish before the timer. A high score of 9.7 landed him with the title as one of the highest scoring surfers of decade.” _

Oikawa’s jaw dropped when he heard the score. A 9.7 was almost unheard of, let alone anything above a 9.5. 

Iwaizumi proudly patted him on the back as the crowd went into a flurry of surprise by the scoring.

_Hinata Shoyou: 16.6_ _Oikawa Tooru: 16.2_

Oikawa groaned dramatically when he realized how close he was to beating Hinata. Before he’d even realized it, Hinata was striding over to him with a wide smile.

_ So bright… _

He opened his arms and felt as Hinata’s warm body crashed into his. Tanaka and Nishinoya soon joined in with Iwaizumi hugging them all last.

“Congrats.” Oikawa breathed out. “I can’t wait to see what you do next.”

Hinata huffed, still hugging him, before responding, “Same goes to you. That last score of yours was insane.”

Before the two could say anything else, they were swamped by journalists trying to get the latest scoop.

_ “How does it feel to win your first round?” _

_ “Did you expect to get such a high score at the end?” _

_ “What are your thoughts on your opponent?” _

“They’re actually my boyfriend.” The two said simultaneously before hiding their blushing faces, which lead to even more questions and yelling from Tanaka and Nishinoya.

  
  
  


_ “...It’ll also probably be our last too.” _

_ “Our last? Wait what do you mean by that?” Iwaizumi asked. _

_ “Oh well…” Tanaka started, “Hinata had actually been thinking of settling down after the Olympics on the mainland. We would join him but-”  _

_ “We don’t think we’re ready to actually slow down our lives. More like we want to speed ours up and explore the world!” Nishinoya finished, flinging his arms up again.  _

_ Tanaka slowly lowered Nishinoya's arms before adding, “Though I have a feeling that he'd be a bit lonely living alone.”  _

  
  
  


“Tooru, can I ask you something?” Hinata asked a few hours after the whole event ended. The five of them were walking back to the hotel after grabbing lunch at a ramen shop.

Oikawa stiffened, feeling the mood change a bit when he saw Tanaka’s and Nishinoya’s eyes widen. “Is everything alright?” He asked cautiously.

Hinata nodded quickly before stopping himself and fully turning to Oikawa while holding his hands between them. “I’ve noticed that you like the mainland more than the island. Is- is that true?” He stuttered.

Oikawa blinked before nodding.

“Then, will you come live with me? I mean I we could always go back to the island during the summers and we could find a place that’s a lot like the town so that you won’t feel too overwhelmed, and we could figure out how to get you a job that you’ll feel comfortable in, and-” Hinata’s rambling was cut short by Oikawa’s hand covering his mouth. 

“Of course.” He smiled.

Hinata jumped onto him, squealing excitedly and said “thank you” over and over into Oikawa’s chest.

Tanaka laughed behind them before saying, “I called it, I knew Hinata would ask him to be his roomie.”

“Well it was kinda obvious since they’re kinda in a relationship now.” Iwaizumi stated.

\----

Oikawa Tooru, age 22.

It’s been about a month since the Olympics and a month since Oikawa has seen Hinata.

He’s currently at the Yakushima Airport with two suitcases, his board, and Iwaizumi with him.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright here by yourself?” Oikawa asks worriedly.

“Of course I will be. I was the one to take care of your sorry ass so I don’t think it’ll be too hard to take care of myself.” Iwaizumi responds proudly before mumbling, “And anyways, you’ll be visiting in the summers so I won't miss you too much.”

“Aww, I’m touched Iwa-chan.” Oikawa says before hugging him tightly, “I’ll definitely miss you, but I’ll also annoy the heck out of you over FaceTime.”

“Why am I not surprised.” Iwaizumi grumbled, hugging Oikawa back.

“Because you know me sooo well.”

“Quit hugging me and get on your flight already.”

“So mean! I knew you were an insensitive brat.”

“Look who’s talking.” Iwaizumi laughs, before pushing Oikawa towards the plane. “Go on, your boyfriend is waiting.”

Oikawa does a silly salute with an added “Yes sir” before waving behind him as he heads to his flight.

Once he’s settled in his seat, Oikawa looks out towards the beach. 

Turns out, he’d never gotten over his fear of the waves, the lakes, the rivers, and even the seasonal floods.

  
_ But,  _ Oikawa thought to himself,  _ that’s quite alright. _

**Author's Note:**

> This is a part of the Haikyuu Olympics Bang! I had a lot of fun making this.  
> Big thank you to Ryuu on Tumblr for creating such wonderful art,  
> https://talesofryuuchanart.tumblr.com/post/626259863778017280/my-second-piece-for-the-olympicsbang-for-this


End file.
